As a Writer, You Can Take Any Writing Advice With a Grain of Salt
To take things with ‘a grain of salt’ or ‘a pinch of salt’ was a heartily imparted piece of wisdom in my family home. When growing up, my mother and grandmother would read out ‘advice’ (even the news on occasion) and instruct each other and any young ears listening in to take it with a pinch of salt. It’s a delightful British idiom that has stood the test of time and something I now find myself calling to mind when I’m reading guidance I come across online.
The phrase itself goes back to a couple of stories, where a grain of salt was indicated as part of an antidote to a poison. And it’s in this context that the phrase has held. I’m conscious it seems counterintuitive to write an article advising writers not to take onboard writing advice and publish it with a site that has writing advice as part of it’s core foundation, but hear me out.
Like most people, I love a good Google of whatever random question might decide to spring itself into my mind at any given moment. As a writer, these questions are usually focused on some sort of writing conundrum or challenge I’m attempting to overcome. If you’ve ever googled any kind of question relating to writing in search of advice, you’ll know what an Aladdin’s cave of treasure, junk, and outright waste it tends to uncover.
I recently googled about writer’s block and attempting to overcome a lack of motivation in general in regards to my writing practice. Pages and pages of results greeted me. I scrolled through a few of them, seeking something a little more personal over the stock-standard listicles and found one that stood out. I began to read through what started off as a great piece but quickly divulged into a shouty-bold-letters ‘This Is What I Did And This Works So You Should Do It Too!’
Ignoring any form of nuance or self-deprecation, the writer of the piece saw fit to assume the way they did things was the ‘right’ way, the ‘best’ way, and the ‘only’ to approach a lack of motivation with writing. It completely put me off anything else they might have to say.
Writing advice is not one-size-fits-all. Writing, in general, is not one-size-fits-all. And that’s one of the truly beautiful things about being a writer and giving yourself time and space to write - you really do get to make all the rules.
Advice can only be helpful if it offers insights and potential, not if it's positioned as a prescription that must be followed to the letter or else, pain of death! Acknowledging that any advice we receive (especially when it comes to writing) might not work for us is the only way to get the most out of the advice. When we take writing advice with ‘a grain of salt’ we accept that all we’re really doing is picking up some guiding points. How we apply those points, how we manipulate and adapt them to suit ourselves, how we figure out if they work for us or not - these should be the key outcomes of any advice we read.
Now, just to really confuse you, I’d like to offer some advice that has helped me over the years to make sense of any advice that I receive. I’m sharing this because when we’re a bit lost, confused or just unsure, any advice can feel or sound like good advice. It’s a relief to have someone tell you precisely what it is you need to do and skip the challenge of decision-making for yourself.
It’s imperative during these times to ensure we’re not letting uncertainty take control and to make sure we apply a slightly critical lens. This isn’t about shooting down the messenger — but it is about making sure the information you receive has ‘you’ at its heart.
A few things to consider:
The Advice Giver’s Motivation
What motivates someone to give advice?
Why do we choose specific people to ask for advice from?
Look at the motivation behind why someone is giving you advice: it should be impartial with your interests at its heart, but this isn’t always the case. People who love to blow the advice trumpet (especially unsolicited) often have self-motivations behind this. Whether it be their ego and feeding their sense of self as the ‘wise’ one or because they want to control or undermine others, make sure you’re aware of the who and why advice comes from.
It’s also worth exploring why you choose specific people to ask advice from. Is it because you know they’ll tell you what you want to hear or because they won’t challenge you? Advice needs to help you move forward in some way, and sometimes that means hearing things that can be uncomfortable.
Understand What You Want
Bad advice is often too general and based on narrow definitions or personal opinions. The truth is, success in your writing is linked to whatever makes you feel good about getting out of bed in the morning and cracking on with your practice. Make sure you know what you want to achieve before seeking advice.
Listen to Your Gut
Our guts are powerhouses in helping us to make important decisions, so when weighing up whether the advice you’ve received is ‘good’ or ‘bad’, spend some time reflecting on what you know and feel. Don’t ignore that little voice telling you to go after something or abandon something because of the advice someone else is telling you.
Seek Out Multiple Opinions
Seeking out advice from multiple sources will help you begin to question the information you’re provided with and apply nuance to how the advice and guidance might apply to you. Like a collage, start to piece together what you’re presented with so you can create the best next steps for you personally.
Remember: No Advice is Perfect Advice For You
We’ve all thought or said things at one time that have changed as we’ve grown, developed, made mistakes and discovered better ways of approaching life. Throughout my writing life, I’ve learnt other things matter more to me than what I’ve been advised — and these are the things I should be aiming for.
Never rely on one old piece of advice from one person or source you can’t even remember any more. Continually seek to refresh and revise your standpoints and keep seeking guidance. Stay curious about your journey, and you’ll begin to build the best path for you and your writing.
About Elaine Mead
Elaine is a freelance writer and editor from London, currently residing in Tasmania. She is passionately interested in the ways in which we can learn from our experiences to become more authentic versions of ourselves, and believes in the power of words to connect. She's also obsessed with showing you photos of her Dachshund puppy. You can find her on Instagram @cestelaine
